Too Good to Be True
by Slayerette16
Summary: Everything is good, too good. The world has changed, no evil at all and yet it's very wrong. After all if everything is good, nothing is good. Spuffy are the only ones unaffected and the only way to re-balance the scales is to unleash an evil on the world. Will Spuffy be able to do it for the sake of good? Is it the right thing to do? WhereDoWeGoFromHere sequel (summary of within)
1. Something’s Wrong

A/N: Special thanks to Mother Wilson, nrdhrd3 and AngelusBlanc for their reviews encouraging a sequel. This whole fic is actually inspired by the episode 'It's a Bad, Bad, Bad World' the S6 finale of the TV show 'Charmed'. But it's not necessary to know anything about that for this of course, it's not a crossover!

WDWGFH Summary: In line with the series but not comics. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Dawn are in a castle in Scotland training the new slayers while Giles and Andrew etc are in the new Watchers Council in England. Spike went to them for help post-NFA with a very weak and human Angel (Shanshu). Cut a long story short, Spike and Buffy got back together and Angel moved to Cleveland to help with Faith and Robin on the Hellmouth. Now with Buffy, Spike, Xander, Willow, Dawn and all the slayers, here's what happens...

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"Has anybody got any pressing issues they want to discuss?" Willow began.

She conducted the weekly Scooby meetings in pretty much the same way every week. They discussed any demons that were hard to beat or unidentifiable before turning their attention to Buffy and Spike's thoughts on the girls' training, who was lacking and who was storming ahead. This week, however, was different.

"No, actually." Buffy realised. "Anyone else?" Her eyes fell on each of her friends individually, no one spoke up.

"This is a good thing, right? The lack of demon-y business going down?" Xander checked with the group.

"I don't know...seems a little off to me."

"Listen to yourself, Slayer. Always harpin' on about a normal life and you don't even notice when you've got it hitting you in the face." Spike scoffed, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Spike's probably right." Dawn agreed. "It's bound to be calmer here than in Sunnydale right?"

"A stampede of elephants through Times Square at Christmas time would be calmer than Sunnydale." Xander remarked.

"Plus we've got a whole army of super slayers now." Willow added.

"So what are you saying? I should just count my blessings?" Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"That's about the size of it." Spike replied.

"Fine. Don't have to tell me twice. Session dismissed." Buffy got up from her chair and her and the Scoobies exited the kitchen.

Kennedy instantly attached herself to Willow when she appeared. They'd been growing apart lately and she was even more desperate to confirm her place in Willow's life.

"When do I get the privelige of a Scooby meeting?" Kennedy pouted.

"You don't just get an automatic pass 'cause you're my girlfriend." Willow teased, taking Kennedy's hands in her own.

"What about Spike?" Kennedy asked as she noticed the vampire walk past her.

"What about Spike?" Spike stopped.

"You get invited just 'cause you're Buffy's boyfriend."

"Hey I've been at those soddin' meetings since before you were even a potential. I can be a Scooby in my sleep." Spike snarled. Though he couldn't deny how happy he was at being called 'Buffy's Boyfriend'.

"Not causing any arguments over here, I hope, honey." Buffy sidled up next to Spike.

"She was saying that-"

Buffy leant up and whispered something in Spike's ear that the two girls before them didn't hear.

"Sorry, Ken we'll finish this another time." Spike grinned.

Buffy giggled hysterically as Spike laced his fingers with hers and dragged her up the stairs.

"How long before the honeymoon phase wears off, that stops working and we have to start listening to him again?" Xander interjected upon noticing the couple's hasty exit.

"With Spike?" Willow raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Never."

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Buffy collapsed on top of him, and rolled her body off of his, her sweaty back welcoming the relief of the cool sheets. Spike stretched his arm out and she slipped her body back up against his. Lazily, she began to draw circles on his chest with her index finger.

"Something on your mind, pet?" Spike wondered, the circling kind of making him itchy.

"It's just..."

"Too good to be true?"

"A little." Buffy admitted.

"I know what you mean."

"You? Mr 'Normal Life Hitting You In The Face'?" Buffy attempted a horrible British accent that came out more Australian.

"After all these years you still think I sound like that?" Spike chuckled. "And believe me I'd love to follow my own advice. It just feels..."

"Wrong."

"Yeah. Wrong." Spike nodded.

"Listen to us. Can't even be happy. Sunnydale really screwed us up huh?"

"Too right, luv."

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Buffy and Spike appeared that morning as they did every morning, Spike's arm draped around Buffy's shoulder as they slumped onto the couch. She was dressed in one of Spike's old black t-shirts, just long enough to skim her upper thighs and Spike was in tartan pyjama pants Buffy had forced him to buy. Though she still hadn't managed to convince him to put on a shirt, some of the girls eyed his chest a little too much for Buffy's liking.

"Mornin' all." Spike called to the room.

Not all of the girls were up yet, around thirty were settled in the living room. Some balancing bowls of cereal on their knees, some reading magazines or watching TV.

"Jackie, switch it to the news quickly. Let's see if any demon action made it mainstream." Buffy asked a young girl near the front who was holding the remote.

She flicked the channels to the news and the girls quietened down to listen.

"And that's all of the news this morning! Looks like the world was a little brighter today! We'll see you again at 1." The newsreader beamed into the camera and it cut to commercials.

"Over already? At 8am?" Dawn yawned as she appeared in the doorway.

"What does she mean? Did nothing happen?" Clara asked the room.

"I guess there's just less crimes. That's good though, right?" Tia replied.

"Surely. Maybe it's 'cause the good side's winning for once huh, Buffy?" Dawn grinned eagerly.

Buffy looked to Spike, his face conveying her thoughts exactly. Something was up and it definitely wasn't good.


	2. Rules

Spike still had his own bedroom, but since him and Buffy had gotten back together he'd only been in there a couple of times to use his bathroom. After showering and dressing he'd met Buffy back in her room.

It looked like a cross between a couple's bedroom and a teenager's bedroom. Perfectly Buffy. The carpet was a pale pink, stained with foundation and the occasional drip of blood. All of the furniture was a shabby chic with painted wood and the mirrors and drawers plastered with any photos she'd managed to save from Sunnydale. Her bottles of perfume and hairspray were interspersed with empty bottles of Spike's Axe Black deodorant and hair gel. Finally, Spike's favourite thing in the whole room. On the dresser that held the TV sat a silver photo frame, pride of place, unmissable. In it was a photo of Buffy and Spike, taken a few months back. They were sparring in the training room, Buffy atop him, a stake pressed to his chest. She had her head tipped back in laughter and Spike's face too was broken into a grin. It showed the two warriors in their element, fighting and yet blissfully happy. Spike fingered it fondly as he swept past it to sit on the bed.

"So, here's what we know." Buffy began to pace her room up and down. "Less evil is about, demons, vamps, the lot."

"Not to mention all the soulful folk seem to be taking a break too. No murders and thefts. Nothing." Spike interjected.

"I need the guys for this but I don't really wanna tell them. We finally got settled here after everything and...they're happy. I don't want to take that away from them." Buffy fidgeted guiltily.

"It's not your fault, pet. And they knew what they were getting into. Been doing it for a fair few years now."

"I know. But I'm not gonna worry them just yet. For all we know, nothing's gonna come of it, right?"

"If you think that's best." Spike shrugged his agreement.

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Buffy impatiently waited on the school campus for Dawn, she'd insisted on walking her home while she was still suspicious of the upcoming evil. The roads were quiet, hardly any cars and those that were there all sat patiently in line during the jam. Normally, people bashed their steering wheels wildly and swore when they were at the school, students going mad about missing their next class that was on the other side of campus. Today was actually...peaceful.

"Come on, Dawn." Buffy scowled as she watched the last few dregs of kids leave the main building.

Although Buffy didn't notice it right away, the students were different from normal. Most days their exits were full of laughter, people singing and shouting, others pushing and shoving each other out of the way to run to their next class. Packs of kids hollered as they shot through the corridors to get to the bus or catch a teacher quickly. But this time they all left without so much as a whisper, silently they sloped away in various directions, giving out polite goodbyes and waves.

"That's it." Buffy stomped her way over to the building and through the corridors. It was beyond silent inside, devoid of the sound of lecturers and patter of feet.

"Damn, British schools are quiet." Buffy remarked.

Having already walked nearly to the end of the corridor she tentatively raised her voice, she knew Dawn's last class of the day was in this building. "Dawn? Dawn? Dawn!"

Dawn appeared out of one of the lecture halls. "Hi, Buffy."

"What took you so long?"

"I had to get all of the work done for the rest of the year." Dawn blinked innocently.

"You're kidding right?"

"Of course not. The rules must be followed at all costs."

"Rules are made to be broken." Buffy jested.

Dawn looked horrified at this however and took a step back from her sister. "What are you talking about?"

"Jokes. It was a joke, you know? Those things funny people make?"

"Joking is not good. Too controversial, we must be careful not to be bad." Dawn reprimanded her sister and the pair began to head for the exit.

"Dawn, what are you talking about? Did someone steal your personality while I wasn't looking?"

"Don't be silly, Buffy." Dawn smiled sweetly. "I'm just being good, we can't let evil into this world."

"Right." Buffy nodded, hiding her concern.

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"Hey, Red. The Bit home yet?" Spike asked Willow as he yanked the fridge open.

"Nope." Willow replied, not lifting her eyes from what she was doing.

She was sat at the kitchen table, calmly cutting through passages in books with a pair of sharp scissors.

"What you up to?" Spike was a little distressed by the sight of someone slicing into the thin pages of a book.

"Getting rid of the evil passages in these books." Willow slid one over to Spike.

The front read 'Dracula' and as Spike flipped through, he saw massive chunks of neatly printed text sliced cleanly from their place.

"What on earth is this?" Spike growled, desperately fingering the pages. "This is a bloody classic!"

"Tut tut, no swearing. Even if it's weird British ones. And anyway those parts were bad, all about blood and murder." Willow tutted.

"It's a Gothic fiction!" Spike shook the book angrily in her face.

"I'd calm down if I were you, Spike. Wouldn't want to have to stake you, after all you are basically evil." Willow smiled.

"We're home!" Buffy's voice came calling through to the kitchen.

"Oh good!" Willow grinned brightly at Spike and vacated her seat.

Buffy swept angrily into the kitchen and was pleased to see the same cocktail of rage and confusion on Spike's face as was on her own moments before, she strode confidently over to him.

"Something's horribly wrong." They said in unison.

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"What the hell has got into your soddin' Scoobies?" Spike hissed.

"Keep your voice down. And it's not just them...or at least I don't think it's just them."

"What do you mean?"

"Dawn's whole school was wiggy."

"Red here was cutting up books! Dracula no less! Getting rid of all the 'evil' parts!" Spike growled, throwing the book onto the table.

Xander appeared in the doorway. "Is everything okay?"

"Um yes sorry about the noise." Buffy cringed, hoping Xander wouldn't call them up on something.

"Yeah, well you should be more careful Buffster. Noise can upset people."

"How can noise upset people?" Spike sneered.

"It just can, okay?" Xander said the somewhat antagonising phrase, achingly calmly.

"Understood." Buffy faked a smile and Xander left the room.

"So what the bloody hell is going on?"

"I don't know. But for some reason we're the only ones unaffected. Maybe it's a spell, we could try and reason with them." Buffy suggested.

"That's no spell, Slayer. What were the requirements, every person on earth who isn't us?"

"Well what do you suggest?"

"I don't know. For now...let's just keep a low profile. Work out what's really going on."

"I can do that. The question is, can you keep your mouth shut for a bit?"

"Yes!" Spike said defensively.

"Good. So let's do some digging. I'll start with Willow and Xander, you get some of the potentials."

"The thing is I'm a little concerned considering Red threatened to stake me a minute ago."

"You don't think they'd go...too far to follow the rules do you?" Buffy gulped.

"Honestly, luv? I don't know."

"Then we have to act and now. Be careful, baby."

"Always am."

Spike turned to leave the kitchen but Buffy grabbed his arm and spun him back around to face her. Passionately, she pressed her lips to his, running her fingers through his blonde curls and gently caressing his lips with her tongue. Then reluctantly she pulled away.

"I love you." Spike breathed gratefully.

"Love you too."


	3. Undercover

"Hey guys." Buffy breezed into the living room and sat next to Willow and Xander.

"Hi, Buff." Xander greeted her.

"So...it's weird how quiet everything's been huh?" Well done, Buffy, straight in the deep end.

"Weird? It's fantastic, Buffy! Everything is so good!" Willow beamed.

"Yeah and I'm real psyched, I am it's just...people have gotten very good, very quickly. That doesn't strike you as a little odd?" Buffy hinted.

"Not at all! Maybe the world has finally woken up and smelled the roses. We're following the rules, not hurting anybody and everyone is good. No evil anywhere, no siree! Heck there may not even be a need for slayers at all anymore! We should just disband them." Xander excitedly announced.

Buffy attempted to control her temper and said steadily. "I don't know about that..."

"Buffy's right, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're all good after all."

"Not all of us, of course." Xander cryptically replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Xander's referring to Spike. He's a vampire, he's evil. He has to go, Buffy." Willow nodded sincerely. "Iced tea?"

"What? Spike's saved the world more than once!" Buffy flared up. Willow ignored her outburst and just set about pouring her a glass of iced tea.

"We know. But the fact of the matter is, there's no evil anymore. So the world isn't gonna need saving again." Xander grinned goofily.

"Ergo we have no use for Spike anymore, being as he's evil and all." Willow shrugged.

Buffy was absolutely gobsmacked at the nonchalance with which they were discussing ending someone's (un)life. But she didn't want to blow their cover so with all the self-control she could muster she simply changed the subject, taking comfort in the fact that as long as they were here with her they weren't killing him and angrily sipped her iced tea.

"So what are we up to tonight now we're free from evil?" Buffy smiled brightly.

"Probably reading, once I've finished editing them."

"Reading? No games or movies?"

"Of course not!" Xander indignantly replied. "We have to follow the rules, Buffster."

"What are these rules? No creativity? No personality? Never-ending monotony?" Buffy gritted her teeth.

"I'm gonna let that slide 'cause you're the ultimate good, but any more comments like that and we'll have to...stop it."

Buffy gulped, she had to get out of here and get to Spike as soon as possible.

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"Hello, Slayers. What you up to?" Spike appeared in the game room.

Normally it was bulging with gaggles of girls, chatting, gossiping, playing video games or foosball. But today, they were all sitting comfortably on chairs, talking quietly and some reading Willow's 'edited' books.

"Hello, Spike." Safiyah smiled up at him. "We're just...sitting I guess."

"Anyone up for a little fun?" Spike tried.

"Fun? How dangerous! We should be being good, Spike." A young girl gasped.

"Right, yeah. Just kidding." Spike cursed himself for his misjudgement and resolved to just sit on the couch quietly and observe.

Spike had never been one for hushed tones and definitely not one for activities so dull they were probably used to calm the criminally insane (he thought to himself). It felt like he'd been perched on the couch for years but in reality it had only been a matter of ten minutes when Dawn entered the room.

"Niblet!" Spike jumped to his feet. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Dawn grinned. "Aren't we all?"

"Yeah, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Okay."

Spike pulled Dawn to the side of the room, a safe distance from the rest of the group. If anyone could see reason, it'd be her, she's Buffy's sister, she used to be a mystical key, she could get past this.

"This isn't good, Dawn."

"What do you mean?"

"Good doesn't mean boring. Good doesn't mean we have to follow every rule and ban every word. Good is freedom, choice, passion. Not a life of the mundane." Spike grabbed her by the shoulders. "Please Dawn, tell me you understand what I'm saying."

"I understand." Dawn nodded.

"Oh thank God!"

"You're evil."

"What? No!"

"Go away, Spike. Your kind don't belong in this world anymore."

Spike tried to convince himself it wasn't Dawn, she'd never say this. Dawn had always stuck up for him, even when he was evil. It wasn't her. To avoid doing something he'd regret, he simply turned on his heel and stalked off.

THUD!

Spike's knees crumpled beneath him. Dizziness took over his body, his mind fought valiantly for control, he might've even growled. But it lost and he smashed to the floor.


	4. Playing Nice

A/N: Can't remember if I mentioned this earlier, but this whole fic is actually inspired by the episode 'It's a Bad, Bad, Bad World' the S6 finale of the TV show 'Charmed'. Obviously it's not like the same lines/characters or anything, just inspired. ~BB x

Buffy felt a sharp pain in the side of her head and a dull ache in each of her wrists. Painfully, she forced her eyelids open. She was chained to the dripping, stone wall in the castle dungeons. They'd been meaning to renovate them but they hadn't ever gotten round to it. The shackles were a thick steel, cutting harshly into her soft skin.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloomy, windowless room, she saw another figure slumped against the wall a few feet away from her. Spike. He was already awake tapping his foot impatiently.

"Spike?" Buffy croaked, flicking a tongue over her dry lips.

"Oh good, you're awake." Spike smiled. "I think they drugged you."

"Drugged? Willow and Xander drugged me?" Buffy inwardly cursed that damned iced tea.

"You got off lightly, pet. Kid sister hit me over the head with a bloody vase."

Buffy almost laughed before she realised the gravity of the situation. All of their friends, their allies, were against them or at the very least not with them. They wanted to kill Spike, perhaps punish Buffy. No one in the world could see what they did and they had no clue how they could fix it.

"We're all alone." Buffy realised.

"That's not true, Slayer. We have each other."

Buffy nodded determinedly. "Buffy brain off, Slayer brain on."

She pulled herself to her feet, ignoring the pounding in her temples. Aggressively, she shook the shackles against the wall. The castle was very old, not to mention the walls were damp, hopefully she could loosen their hold on her arms.

"It's no use, pet." Spike got to his feet too. "I say we wait until they come in and beat the shit outta them."

"They're my friends, when we fix this. I don't want them to be dead."

"Okay, so we don't beat the shit outta them, how about just the crap outta them?" At the sound of approaching footsteps, Buffy nodded her reluctant agreement.

"Hey, Buffster." Xander waved hello to Buffy as him and Willow appeared in the room.

"Could you act less concerned about me being chained to a wall?"

"Now, now, Buffy. We're not going to hurt you, just Spike." Willow grinned.

"Lucky me." Spike deadpanned.

"Don't worry, we'll make it quick." Xander assured Buffy. "We are the good guys after all." Buffy scoffed at this admission and rolled her eyes.

"That was very rude." Willow frowned. "And just for that..."

Willow gestured to Xander and he produced a bottle of holy water from his pocket.

"No!" Buffy screeched as he tossed the whole contents over Spike's body.

It instantly burnt through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, searing the skin beneath. Buffy gagged at the stench of peeling flesh, Spike clenched his jaw in pain, refusing to scream.

"We'll make an exception because he's evil." Xander explained.

"You know who's evil? You lot." Buffy hissed.

"Buffy, I'm warning you now." Willow advanced towards her best friend.

"Go on! Warn me! That's not what the good guys do! This isn't what good is. Good isn't boring. It's not following every rule no matter the consequences, good is fighting for what's right, fighting for what you believe in. It's free-will, joy, doing the right thing to help everyone not just killing those who don't fit into your cookie cutter mould of good." Buffy spat. "You wanna know something, Will? If everybody is good, nobody is good." Spike grinned his approval, say what you want but Buffy is awesome.

"So that's how it's gonna be? Fine."

Xander and Willow turned away from Buffy and faced Spike, in one fluid motion Xander whipped a stake out of his back pocket and flew at the vampire. As soon as Xander had moved, Buffy had reacted. She forced her weight onto her chained wrists and threw her legs into the air. Her feet locked around Xander's neck flipping him onto the stone floor.

"You bitch." Willow hissed.

"Oh please." Buffy almost laughed at the idea Willow could take her and booted her straight to the face.

Willow reeled back in pain but quickly recovered, staggering towards her again. Her face began to change ever so slightly, her eyes darkened, a step away from pitch black. Buffy knew she had to act fast or a torrent of magic more powerful than herself would hit her. With all the strength she could muster, she heaved all of her weight back onto her shackles. Pressing her body hard against the wall, she swung her legs forcefully through the air. Both feet punched into Willow's gut sending her ricocheting against the opposite wall. Buffy panted but prepared, ready for the next attack.

"Are they out already?" Spike looked a little closer at the two bodies on the floor when neither moved to attack again.

"I guess so." Buffy shrugged. "I forgot how easy it is to beat up untrained humans."

"Well I say let's get outta here before someone finds out."

Before Buffy could reply, the stones surrounding her shackles crumbled and she was thrown to the floor.

"That was a happy but painful coincidence." Buffy mumbled, dragging her body back up. "I guess that last bit of weight killed it."

Buffy unhooked each shackle from her wrists and crossed the room to release her boyfriend. She tried not to look at his chest and he didn't mention it. Lightly, she pressed her lips against his cheek.

"What was that for?" Spike smiled.

"You scared me. I thought I'd lost you again." Buffy admitted.

"Nope, you're stuck with me for a while yet." Spike grinned and started for the stairs. "Let's go."

"Hang on."

Buffy dropped to her knees next to Willow and Xander, they were both breathing but definitely unconscious. Gently, she dragged each of their bodies to the wall and leant them seated up against it. They still looked sort of dead so Buffy draped Xander's lifeless arm over Willow's shoulder.

"Okay, now we can go."

"You think we'll have any trouble slipping out?"

"Shouldn't do..." Buffy climbed the stairs to the ground floor and scanned the hallway. "They love rules here right? Well it's past bedtime."


	5. Who You Gonna Call?

Buffy and Spike had hopped onto Spike's motorbike and driven through the night. Her arms were aching a little from being clasped so tightly around Spike's middle and he was getting a little worried about the time. Neither knew where they were headed, it didn't really matter anyway. They drove until the sun began to peek over the horizon which was when they ducked into a motel to protect Spike. Once in the room with the curtains drawn, the pair finally had a chance to think.

"Do you need some help?" Buffy gestured to Spike's chest, he was still in the same burnt t-shirt, his damaged skin visible.

"No point. It'll heal." Spike shrugged dismissively.

"Spike.." Buffy motioned to touch it but he pushed her hand away.

"Not a priority right now."

"Well what the hell is a priority, Spike? The whole world is against us, literally!" Buffy yelled.

"I know. That's why we have to think for a second." Spike reminded Buffy sternly.

"You're right, honey." Buffy reigned in her anger and began to pace. "So what do we know?"

"They're obsessed with their idea of good."

"Exactly. They like rules, everything's black and white to them, right and wrong." Buffy agreed, pacing rhymically.

"No one's evil, or even a little rebellious." Spike scoffed. "Everyone is bloody boring to be honest."

"No one's evil." Buffy said quietly. "What does that mean? Why has that happened?"

"I don't know."

"Well who can we go to to ask that?" Buffy asked, exasperated.

"I have an idea...but I don't know how to contact them."

"I'm open to anything at this point..." Buffy slumped back down to the bed.

"It's time to place a call to the PTB."

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Buffy had gone out that day in search of magic shops but with nothing but motorways for miles, they had no way of finding any information. She returned to the room that evening, unsuccessful. Face-planting onto the bed, she sighed into the pillow.

"No luck?" Spike mumbled from his side.

"Nuh uh."

"So, what's the plan Stan?" Spike rolled a little closer to Buffy.

"I'm gonna have to go back."

"No, Buffy, you can't. Especially not alone." Spike sat up.

"What choice do I have? We need to find out what's going on and we have no resources here!"

"For all we know, Red's already taken the scissors to all your soddin' lexicons anyhow. It's useless!"

"I have to try Spike."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"Why? Buffy it's not safe."

"I'm the Slayer, Spike."

"Yeah and how many slayers are there in that castle. It's not the Slayer anymore it's a Slayer. And don't get me wrong, pet, you could beat up any one of them any day. But they outnumber you by...well by a helluva lot." Spike pointed out.

"I know but I have to do something! And you can't come because by the time we get there it'll be day and you can't go out in the sunlight and so we can't leave...there's just not enough shelter."

"Why don't we call Giles?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he'll be Mr. Cooperative! They've probably already gone and tattled on me."

"So you use that to your advantage." An evil glint appeared in Spike's eye.

"Do I like where this is going?"

"Oh the joys of being formerly evil."

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"Hello?"

"Hi Giles, it's Buffy."

"Buffy? Well you are in very big trouble. You must return to the castle this instant so Willow and Xander can kill Spike and incapacitate you however they see fit."

"Giles, I understand, I'm going to go back."

"Thank you, Buffy. I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways."

"Yes I have, and as I know that I'm gonna be killed for everything I've done, could you grant me a dying wish?" Buffy cringed as she said it, sure it sounded like absolute crap.

"I'm nothing if not noble, what is it?"

"How would I contact the Powers That Be?" Buffy tentatively asked.

"Now why on earth would you want to do that?!?" Damn it, busted, Buffy thought.

"I'm obviously not going to. I'm just think that people could contact the Powers to try and bring evil back into the world." Buffy knew as she said it that it wasn't believable in the slightest.

"Oh I see." Wow he really bought that? Okay, no complaints here, Buffy laughed inwardly. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. There is no way to contact the Powers as a regular person. They interfere how and when they deem it necessary."

"Oh. Okay. Well, great." Buffy was devastated.

"Now, go on back to the castle, before I send Willow and Xander to go after you. And bring that evil thing with you."

"I will, Giles. Thank you."

Buffy hung up the phone with a sigh.

"He didn't know?" Spike rubbed Buffy gently on the back.

"No, he did and we can't. They interfere when they want, we don't get a say."

"If this isn't bloody necessary what in hell is?" Spike growled.

"Exactly!" Buffy got to her feet and stood in the middle of the room. "You hear that Powers? Is it not necessary?"

"Slayer..." Spike got up to walk over to her.

Buffy wasn't having it, she was hollering crazily at the ceiling. "Please! Can you just help me out here? Am I not allowed to be helped out? You guys left me on my own for the last...oh I don't know...seven apocalypses? Is it not my turn now?"

"Buffy..."

"No!" Buffy yelled back. "It's not fair! Us down here working our asses off our whole lives for them! For their damned prophecies and destiny, and we don't even get a frickin' thank you! And the one time, the one time in my entire life I've ever asked for help and I don't get that?" Buffy crumpled into Spike's embrace, whispering, "Why?"

"I don't know, pet." Spike shushed her comfortingly and ran his hand through her hair.

Slowly, he lowered himself down to sit on the bed, pulling Buffy into his lap. She curled up close to him, her face buried in his shoulder. The couple were suddenly bathed in an intense white light. Confusedly, Spike held onto Buffy a little tighter.

Hovering over them was a woman, they didn't recognise her but something about her just felt...right. It was just her torso and head floating ethereally above them like some kind of angel. Her hair splayed out around her, flowing as if fanned and her warm eyes sparkled down at them.

"Buffy." She said. Buffy leapt off of Spike's lap and the pair stood up.

"Are you...?"

"One of The Powers. You can call me Aadya." Aadya smiled kindly.


	6. Evil Reborn

A/N: Quite a long one this week, but it's about to get very interesting...(if I do say so myself!) ~BB x

"Spike.." Buffy muttered under her breath. "You see her too, right, baby?"

Spike chuckled. "Sure do, pet."

"I'm really here, Buffy. You asked, we're answering."

"Really? All I had to do was ask? Don't expect me not to abuse that power in the future." Buffy quipped, her anger slowly dissipating.

Aadya grinned. "You needed help, Buffy. Ask away."

"Why is this happening?"

"Everything in earth is balanced. Light and dark, life and death, good and evil. That balance has been altered."

"So good and evil is the one we're referring to here I guess." Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. The scales have been tipped, before in a world with a Slayer and demons, all was balanced. Harmony. Now it's not."

"It was me." Buffy froze, shocked.

"What?" Spike looked at her, puzzled.

"I did this. The balance was altered by me, when I activated all those slayers, I tipped the scales. I caused this. Didn't I?" Buffy turned to Aadya, who didn't reply, though her silence proved Buffy correct.

Spike reached for Buffy's hand and squeezed it tightly. "No. You didn't know. You did what you had to do."

"How do we fix it?" Buffy asked, ignoring Spike's reassurances.

"To return order, an act of immense evil must be committed. 'An evil must be reborn'." Aadya informed them. "Once it has been done, evil will tip back the scales to even."

"Okay. Evil reborn? What the hell does that mean? Unleashing something evil? I'm not doing that! It's wrong, it's...I just can't." Buffy shook her head violently.

"You're right, you can't. But I can." Spike said.

"What? No! Are you crazy?"

"Buffy, it has to be done. And I'm not letting you do it. You heard the Scoobies today, I'm evil as is, might as well be the one to do it."

"Spike you're not evil anymore. They don't know what they're saying."

"Actually that's what I meant to ask.." Spike carefully sidestepped Buffy's comment. "Why are we the only ones aware of this?"

"Well you two are the perfect balance." Aadya continued at their perplexed expressions. "Light and dark, night and day, alive and dead, good and evil."

"Hey! He is not evil!" Buffy angrily interrupted.

"Maybe not, but the demon within him is." Spike nodded knowingly so Buffy held her tongue that time.

"Through all of these opposites, the two of you remain connected. The ultimate balance." Aadya concluded.

Buffy grinned at Spike and slipped her hand back into his.

Spike tore his eyes from Buffy and back to Aadya. "So this evil being...any idea what the bloody hell it is?"

"You will find it closer to home than you think." Aadya revealed.

"And once it's out there, we just kill it and problem solved?" Buffy confirmed.

"In a way, you can only kill it if you're also willing to deactivate the slayers."

"What? How does that make any sense?" Buffy furrowed her brow.

"It's like this," Spike began. "You unleashed a whopper of good onto the earth, in the form of thousands of Bitty Buffys, right? Well in return you gotta give over some kind of evil. This thing for your slayers. So you can kill the thing, sure, but you gotta ditch the slayers. Am I getting it, luv?" Spike finished and turned to Aadya.

"Precisely." She nodded.

"The slayers have to go." Buffy said quietly.

"Are you sure about this? You were finally getting a routine, a little less stress, someone to share all of...this with." Spike asked gently.

"Yes I'm sure. I should've known the consequences, Spike. There's been one slayer for thousands of years, I already screwed it up with Faith, I should've been more careful."

"We can do this, you know. Once the evil is unleashed we kill it, then deactivate the slayers."

"You must not use them to kill the evil." Aadya interrupted. "The world must tip in favour of evil, if only for a little while before you kill this...being."

"For God's sake." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Nothing you can't handle, pet."

"That depends, who will be the Slayer?"

"You and Faith. Just like before." Aadya confirmed.

"So some evil has gotta be reborn and we'll find it closer to home than we think...after all these years I'm still not down with the cryptic. Any more clues? Maybe the first letter?" Buffy tried.

Aadya smiled and then she was gone.

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"Well that was rude." Buffy noted.

"Yeah the PTB aren't exactly known for their manners." Spike scoffed.

"So I guess we need a plan."

"Yup."

"I say we unleash this thing, high-tail it back to Slayer HQ, get Will to deactivate the lot and head after the evil." Buffy decided.

"Sounds like a plan. One problem."

"We don't know who the hell the evil thing is." Buffy finished.

"That's about the size of it."

"I'm tired." Buffy groaned.

Her body flopped from its feet and she fell back on the bed. In a matter of minutes, Spike had crawled up beside her and pulled her into his arms. Buffy lay with her legs sprawled across the mattress, her head against Spike's chest and his arm cradling her shoulder.

"We're gonna get through this right?" Buffy mumbled into his t-shirt.

"Don't we always?" Spike teased, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I guess it's just...hard without my friends." Buffy sighed. "I've always been kinda alone in the whole I'm a slayer they're not thing, sure, but I never truly understood what people said when it was rare for a slayer to have friends."

"It is rare and hey maybe that's why you're still alive and staking and they're not."

"Can I do it without Xander and Willow? I barely remember a time when I've had to."

"You definitely can, you're the best fighter I've ever seen. Talented, logical, fast, emotional, passionate, a true Slayer." Spike pulled her into him a little closer and she wrapped her leg around his body. "And besides, you've got me."

"Always?" Buffy grinned.

"'Til the end of the world."

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 _Her blonde ringlets fell about her shoulders, the teeth attached to his neck barely visible in the twilight._

 _Time jumped, the man, slaughtering hundreds, thousands. Young girls crying and pleading for mercy. Whole families trembling as they watched their loved ones drained in front of them._

 _The pursuit of an innocent brunette, her eyes clouded with visions of tomorrow. Tortured, defiled and turned._

 _A rag-tag group of four. Fire. Death. Pain. Rebellion. Blood._

 _Killing criminals, draining evil doers. Remorse and regret conquered his days and vain attempts at redemption conquered his future._

 _Good guy, the knight, a girl. Love, ultimate happiness. Evil. Death. Hell. Return. Death. Hero._

 _Human._

Buffy's brain officially overloaded with sequences and images and memories. Coming faster and faster until she could barely distinguish one from the other. Finally, in a flurry of confusion, she burst awake, panting and sweating.

"Buffy, are you okay?" Spike was awoken instantly.

"It's Angel."

"What are you talking about? What's Angel?" Spike tried to not be worried about his girlfriend waking up in the middle of the night babbling about her ex.

"The evil. The evil that'll be reborn. It's Angel. The PTB want you to sire Angel. Bring back Angelus." Buffy panted.

Her body felt ravaged as if it had lived those centuries in the space of a couple of hours. Buffy's muscles were stiff yet tense and her blonde tendrils were plastered to her face with sweat.

"Are you insane? I'm not doing that!" Spike protested.

"You have to, honey. I can't sire him."

"How can you be sure? Maybe that was just a dream."

"I saw things I've never seen before, Spike, things I'd never even heard about. I saw Angelus. It was a message, I know it." Buffy urged, wiping her hand across her face.

"So I have to sire the most demonic vampire there's ever been. And then I assume we kill him."

Buffy gulped and clambered out of bed. "There has to be another way, we can't kill him."

"I mean I suppose the argument would be we could re-ensoul him. That way the demon would technically be gone."

"Okay, that'll work. Willow's done it before, she can do it again."

"Yeah but the worry is, Angelus moves bloody quick. In the time between the siring and the souling he coulda killed hundreds of people."

Buffy thought for a moment but could see no way out, she folded her arms across her chest and announced, "We don't have a choice, honey. We're headed to Cleveland."


	7. Promises

A/N: Kinda short chapter, but needed to help the story. Sorry! ~BB x

They reached the Cleveland airport just as dawn was breaking. Buffy had been asleep for the whole of the night flight, her mind still plagued with dreams of Angel's past. It hadn't been restful, she woke up even more exhausted, her eyes ringed with purple. The couple ducked into a darkened corner of the airport and stood there, unsure of what to do with themselves.

"So I guess we wait until night, and then we head to Faith's." Buffy decided.

"Sounds good." Spike nodded.

"Dibs on Faith, I'm interested to see what she looks like good." Buffy mused.

"That'll be bloody weird. While you're keeping that bitch busy, I'll slip by and go bite Gramps."

Buffy gulped at his words. Spike was gonna sire him. Woah. She temporarily pushed her doubts aside and continued. "Then I'll ring up Willow and hopefully the whole 'we're good' act has gone..."

"And she takes off the mojo on the Bitty Buffys and Slayer central goes kaput." Spike finished.

"Yup." Buffy nodded thoughtfully. "And then she gets her magical butt to Cleveland and we stuff Angel's soul back in."

"Sounds like a plan." Spike agreed.

And then it hit her, the situation and the utter insanity of it all.

"Angel."

"What about him?"

"You're gonna sire him." Buffy said tonelessly.

"I guess I am, yeah."

"How are we doing this, Spike?"

"Honestly, luv? I don't know."

"I know it's the right thing, it's for the sake of the world but...not again." Buffy shook her head furiously. "Not again."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked gently.

"It's not fair. It shouldn't be him again." Buffy threw herself into a chair, lost in thought.

Spike wasn't sure what she was talking about but he rubbed her back anyway, trailing his cool hand down her as comfortingly as possible. But Buffy didn't need comfort, she was angry, downright pissed off.

"Why is it always Angel, huh? Why's it always him I have to kill or hurt or whatever to save the goddamn world?" Buffy barked.

"I don't know, pet. I really don't know."

"He's the one that gets stabbed and sent to a hell dimension. He's the one who has to fight the Partners and nearly get killed." Buffy leapt to her feet angrily. "And finally his reward for all this FUCKING SHIT is that he gets human! Well whoopi frickin' doo 'cause we get to take that as well!"

"It sucks. It's bloody awful."

"It feels wrong, you know?" She clutched her chest as if she could feel the wrongness within. "He doesn't deserve this. And you know what else? It's my fault. I did this because I couldn't handle my own apocalypse."

"That's it! You stop that right now." Spike pointed at her. "Does this situation absolutely suck? Too right. It's bloody shit. A huge piss take! I get it! But this is NOT your fault, Slayer. You did what you had to do. You faced the First, the evil of all evils! You had to do it. And yeah from old Peaches' perspective it's gonna be pretty shit for a while. But he'll understand."

Buffy took a deep breath. "But will he?" She sunk into a chair. "Will he understand? The one thing he's wanted for as long as I can remember and we take it from him and he...understands that?"

"Would you understand that?"

"Yeah...I would. I mean I got resurrected and it was real sucky but it had to be done..." Buffy trailed off.

"So then he will too."

"How can you be sure?"

"'Cause I know, Angel. And so do you. He's one of us, Buffy. One of the good guys, can't believe I'm included in that." Spike scoffed before continuing. "But in our line of work? That's what you do. You make sacrifices, you give up everything you've ever wanted in the world 'cause someone's gotta. So it has to be you." Spike released a breath he'd for some reason been holding and slumped next to Buffy.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Sorry I'm getting so angry about all this. It's not even me who's gotta do it." Buffy shuffled guiltily.

"Can't say I won't bottle it later, but I'm trusting you to sort me out just like I did right? You get me to bite him. Whatever it takes."

"Spike..."

"Whatever. It. Takes." Spike raised his eyebrows at her urgently.

"Whatever it takes." Buffy promised.

Buffy snuggled down and rested her head on Spike's shoulder. He reached his hand round and ran his fingers gently through her golden tresses freeing them painlessly from tangles. She sighed into his shoulder, just taking comfort in his touch.

Spike pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "Get some sleep if you can, pet. Something tells me this is gonna be one hell of a day."

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As soon as night had cloaked the sky, Buffy and Spike got a cab from the airport to Slayer HQ. The weather there was similar to Scotland but with less rain so Buffy got used to it very quickly enjoying the fog roll over the horizon. Soon the large steel building where Faith made her home loomed into view.

"Buffy?"

"Hey, Faith."

"Come in."

Faith's instant welcoming was never good, even if she was. Buffy hesitantly stepped over the threshold, Spike sliding in behind her. He scanned the room but didn't see any sign of Angel so began eyeing the nearest staircase.

"So how's Cleveland?" Buffy breezed.

"Don't play dumb with me." Faith snarled throwing a right hook to Buffy's jaw.

"And there it is." Buffy muttered.


	8. Whatever It Takes

Buffy drew back her own fist and sent it hard into Faith's nose before spinning round and kicking her in the side, sending her skidding across the floor.

"Where are all your slayers to come help you?" Buffy taunted shoving her boot straight into Faith's chest.

"We've disbanded them. Didn't you hear? Everyone is the world is good now, apart from you. How the tables have turned."

Faith grabbed Buffy up by the throat and slammed her against the wall. The blonde was choking, kicking her legs out wildly hoping to come into contact with anything. Spike grasped Faith around the waist and, hauling her into the air, tossed her to the floor.

"Thanks." Buffy panted, rubbing her throat. "You go get Angel." Spike nodded and ran out of the room.

"That's it, B." Faith slid a knife out of her pocket and advanced on Buffy.

"Come on, Faith. Remember how this went last time?"

Faith lunged forward with the knife and Buffy dodged it, kicking her foot out to catch Faith behind the ankles. She stumbled a little but regained it quickly whirling around to punch Buffy with her free hand. Buffy caught her fist and jammed it backwards sending Faith's own elbow into her face. Then, she grabbed the knife and wrenched it from her grip. The blade sliced through Buffy's soft skin and she hissed but let it clatter to the floor anyway.

Faith dove to try and retrieve it but Buffy kicked it away and pulled Faith up by a handful of hair.

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"Angel?" Spike called into the corridor. "Angel?"

Resigned, Spike took a deep inhale through his nose. As his airways filled with Angel's musky scent he began to follow it, trekking through the building. Finally he stopped outside a doorway, took a deep sniff and satisfied, he burst in.

"Spike." Angel growled. "You're evil."

"No, I'm not. But that is a popular opinion as of late."

Angel catapulted his body at Spike sending both of them sprawling to the floor. With a grunt, Spike pushed Angel off of him and leapt back up.

"I'm really sorry about this, mate. I am." Spike said sincerely, holding up his guard.

"Too late for that." Angel kicked Spike in the chest.

Spike stumbled backwards but recovered and sent a flurry of blows down onto Angel's face and chest. Once his grandsire was on the floor, Spike took his moment. Pinning him down and restricting his arms, Spike grabbed Angel roughly by the head and slammed it repeatedly into the floor.

0000000000000000000000000000000

With a fistful of Faith's hair, Buffy spun her around and held her against the wall. She aimed a kick to her stomach, winding her and punched her repeatedly in the face. Blood spurted everywhere but Faith wouldn't stop wriggling, desperate to get out of Buffy's grasp. Buffy released her to her feet and she swayed slightly.

"I'm sorry, Faith. We'll talk about it later." Buffy grimaced as she roundhouse kicked her slayer sister straight in the chest and she tumbled to the floor.

"Spike!!!" Buffy hollered at the top of her lungs, unnecessarily she realised with vampiric hearing.

"Up here! Third door on the left!" Spike called in reply.

Buffy thundered into the room to see Spike straddling Angel's unconscious body, game face on.

"Did you already do it?"

"No." Spike admitted, climbing to his feet. "I can't bring myself to."

"We talked about this, baby. It has to be done." Buffy rubbed his shoulder.

"I just hope when all this is over he'll see the plus side." Spike gulped.

"Yeah?" Buffy said, unsure.

"Stronger, faster, live longer. 'Cause I gotta be honest, bloke didn't put up much of a fight just now." Spike gestured to Angel's unconscious form.

"Does he want all that back?"

"I don't know, he did...once." Spike didn't admit that when Angel had first become human he'd been shocked at his weakness and begged Spike to sire him. That was different, it was a choice then.

"We're doing it for the right reason though, right?"

"Well we're doing it for the world, pet, there ain't any better reason than that."

"And yet you can't do it." Buffy bit her lip worriedly.

"Nope." Spike shook his head. "Guy's a bloody git but...he doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this."

Buffy knew what she had to do, it was stupid and reckless and who knows how annoyed Spike would get but it was the only way. Clutching his shirt tightly, she pulled Spike's mouth to hers. He responded instantly, his hands looping around her back. Buffy worked her lips into his, flicking her tongue all around his mouth. His hands travelled downwards, squeezing her waist tightly as she gripped his shoulders even tighter. Reluctantly, she pulled away, panting.

"What was that for?" Spike chuckled resting his forehead on hers.

"Just a reminder that I love you before I do this."

"Do what?"

"Whatever it takes." Buffy echoed his own words from the airport.

Buffy took a step away from the vampire and slipped her bitch mask on. Then sauntered over to Angel.

"He had me first you know." Buffy gestured to Angel.

Spike scoffed. "That's not gonna work."

"What?" Buffy asked innocently.

"You're not gonna make me angry enough to bite him."

"Who said anything about biting? Well..." Buffy looked away coyly.

"You let him bite you?" Spike gritted his teeth.

Buffy laughed quietly allowing her hand to finger the scar on her neck. I'm sorry, Spike she thought to herself.

"That doesn't bother me. You did it because he was dying." Spike said firmly.

"Oh that time? Yeah..."

"It happened more than once?"

"You know me, not one to kiss and tell." Buffy turned away from him. "Though I do remember he was pretty good, for his first time in like a hundred years? Wow."

Spike paced angrily over to Angel and grabbed him up by the collar, snarling into his fangs.

"That's it." Buffy encouraged, but it seemed to have the opposite effect and Spike's fangs disappeared.

"Nice try." Spike growled.

"That's what I thought after me and you had sex for the first time." A deep, throaty growl reverberated from Spike but Buffy pressed on. "Angel on the other hand? Oh. My. God. He killed me."

Involuntarily, Spike's game face slipped back on. "Shut up."

"Nope." Buffy placed a hand on Spike's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "It's not me, it's him."

Spike roared and plunged his fangs deep into Angel's neck. Buffy bit her lip guiltily, she knew what she'd done was wrong but it had to be done. Spike was now drinking deeply from Angel's neck and Angel's eyes had snapped open, awoken by pain. But the blonde persisted, drinking even harder until he stopped and bit into his own wrist. Blood gushed from the wound and he stuck it to Angel's dry lips. Naturally, Angel swiped his tongue across it and swallowed. Spike released Angel's body and let him fall to the floor then wiped his mouth with the back of a hand.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Spike replied. "You had to do it."

"It wasn't true you know." Buffy assured him.

"Which part?" Spike scoffed.

"I never let him bite me, apart from that life or death time. And the sex? Kinda horrible, first times and all." Buffy laughed nervously.

"He never bit you...like out of choice?" Spike checked.

"Never." Buffy shook her head furiously.

She could still see the sadness of Spike's face and she fell into his arms quickly. "I'm sorry." She muttered into his shoulder.

"It's okay." Spike patted her back comfortingly then lightly pushed her away. "I know you two had something. I shouldn't have been so immature."

"No it was me. It was a shitty idea. I know how you feel about Angel." Buffy cradled his hand lovingly in her own, and pressed a kiss against it.

"It's okay, it had to be done. Though next time could you give me a little heads up?"

"I did!" Buffy protested.

"Sticking your tongue down my throat, and thoroughly turning me on is not a heads up. Well actually I guess it kinda is..." Spike laughed crudely.

"Ewww..." Buffy shuddered. "Never say something like that again."

"You deserved it." Spike shrugged. "You're just lucky we don't have the life to waste arguing about this right now."

"Woah, look at us Mr and Mrs Mature!" Buffy playfully slapped Spike on the arm.

"Was it mature to torment me about your ex so I'd bite him?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"Okay maybe not too mature." Buffy relented. "Let's just get him chained up or something and call the gang."

Spike was still a bit upset by what happened but it wasn't worth it, right now they had to save the world he could argue with his girlfriend any day of the week.

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"Hello?"

"Hey, Willow."

"Buffy? Ohmigod! Where are you? What's happened? I remember some stuff I guess...it's just it's all jumbled and...ohmigod. Did we kill Spike?"

Buffy chuckled. "No you didn't kill Spike. He's here."

"Well paint me surprised they actually cared?" Spike mused.

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned back to the phone. "The thing is that me and Spike are kinda in Cleveland and we need you guys here too."

"Why?"

"It's a long story but Angelus is back. Take the jet and get here."

"How many slayers do you want?"

"None. No such thing anymore." Buffy replied sadly.

"What do you mean? I've got like a hundred slayers in the building right now."

"And that brings me onto my next favour. Will, I need you to deactivate the slayers. Can you do that?"

"It may take a little time, it's a huge spell to reverse but I can do it. Are you sure, Buffy?"

"No, but it's a whole big PTB thing. I'll explain when you get here just deactivate and dash okay?"

Willow sensed she shouldn't push it and instead asked. "Okay. Me, Xander and Dawn yeah?"

"Yep, ASAP."

"Okay, see you soon Buffy."

"Bye."

Buffy hung up the phone and walked over to Spike. "They're on their way. And who's willing to bet our favourite vamp will be awake before then."

"Slayer, I'd place money on it."

"I'll wake up Faith. And you double check all the locks on Angel's cage. He's not getting out until he has a soul again."

"Roger that."

A/N: A somewhat controversial chapter, and a difficult one to write at that. Don't worry, what happened between them will be addressed later in this fic. What Buffy did to Spike was wrong, but I figured she would do it for the sake of good and the promise she made in the previous chapter (to do whatever it takes). Also it's comparable to what she does to Andrew to get him to cry in S7 E16 'Storyteller'. ~BB x


	9. Consequences

A/N: Some use of the f-word in this chapter, so sorry if that bothers you. Haven't had any reviews in a while and not to be that person but if anyone gets the chance I'd appreciate it. ~BB x

When the couple got back downstairs Faith was already awake, rubbing her head painfully.

"Hey." Buffy started, Spike left the room to give them some privacy.

"Hey. Listen about that..."

"It's okay. You didn't know what you were doing." Buffy shrugged.

"Yeah...wanna explain that to me?"

Buffy told Faith the whole story from the Slayers to the PTB and finally the siring of Angelus.

"You sired Angel?!!" Faith leapt to her feet. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I didn't have a choice, Faith." Buffy feebly offered.

"Bull, B." Faith spat. "He doesn't deserve this! You don't get to just decide everyone's fate!"

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I flipped when I found out?" Buffy snapped.

"No! I don't think that! You know why? I think you look down on us good guys who used to be bad!"

"What?"

"You think you're better than all us freaks who didn't take to the hero thing right away!"

"What a load of crap!"

"Oh really? You don't think you're better than me, or Angel...or Spike? You've been good from the start, B. Never fallen off the wagon never doubted your destiny. But us? We shouldn't have been chosen, shouldn't be good, right?" Faith sneered.

"No. That's not true. I don't think that."

"Yes you do. And when you fucked up you couldn't take it! When you found out you summoning all of those girls was wrong, you thought of the one evil thing that could detract attention from your own mistake. Angelus."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Buffy shook her head violently.

"Don't I? Please enlighten me, Saint Buffy." Faith dropped to her knees in front of Buffy and clasped her hands together, begging. "Please tell me why you did this. Your divine, godly reason."

"Because I had to! Because I was an idiot! Because I fucked up! Is that what you wanted to hear? That I sealed the fate of someone I love because I fucked up? That I risked my relationship for that bite? I risked an old friend, my boyfriend and a really really good man's one dream. I killed that, Faith. And I have to live with that every day." Buffy exploded.

Faith got back to her feet. "B...I..."

"No. You're right. Angel doesn't deserve this, he doesn't. It's shitty and fucked up and if I could take it all back I would. But I can't, the Powers told me to, I had to."

"Fucking PTB." Faith shook her head. "He barely even got a chance."

"I know. It's so...unfair. Turning him back and then making me take it away."

"They'd probably give some bullshit about it being all part of some grand plan." Faith slumped back into her chair and Buffy settled beside her.

"Yeah that sounds like their tune."

Silence fell over the pair for a few seconds, the sister slayers catching their breath and re-collecting their nerves.

"So Angelus is back, huh?" Faith breathed, all the fight gone.

"I guess so. I'm so sorry. You know that right? That...this...is the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Does that include when you sent him to hell during the whole Acathla deal?" Faith quipped.

Buffy smiled. "Way worse than that. I'm taking away his dream. Taken. I've taken away his dream."

"And that's the operative word there, B. What's done is done. As pissed as I am...Angelus is back and we're gonna have to deal with that. We don't have time for this."

"You're right. God...I can't believe I did this." Buffy dropped her head into her hands.

A few naps, breathers and 10 hours later...

"Willow's gonna be here in about half an hour apparently." Buffy announced placing the phone back.

Faith and Spike were shovelling the last of their food into their mouths when she took up her seat again. Faith had cooled off for a few hours and the group had set about dealing with a few phone calls to Giles and others about the situation at hand. Now the three of them were sitting eating Chinese food for dinner, anxiously awaiting Angelus' awakening and the Scoobies' arrival.

"All deactivated?" Spike said through a mouthful of noodles.

"Yep." Buffy nodded and flicked her finger across his chin, clearing it of sauce. Spike's tongue came out to lick her finger and she giggled before pulling away at Faith's glare.

"Sorry." Buffy blushed embarrassedly.

"Don't sweat it." Faith shrugged. "I'm kinda glad to see you not so uptight all the time."

"I'm not uptight! Honey, am I uptight?" Buffy demanded.

"Umm...I love you?" Spike replied and Faith chortled.

"Whatever." Buffy huffed.

Faith rubbed her jaw tenderly. "Though I will tell you something, Blondie. You still throw a mean left hook."

"Yeah sorry about that...and sorry about Angel, really. It's...just...sorry."

"Do I wish the dude got what he deserved? Giving hope for all of us redemption types?" Faith gestured to herself and Spike, who nodded knowingly at her. "More than you know. But Willow will get here and stick his soul back and job jobbed. Nothing we can do now." Faith reasoned.

Buffy would never admit it but she'd always been jealous of Faith's lackadaisical attitude and ability to not take everything so seriously. It was what she'd loved about Faith's friendship when they'd first met. Yeah she'd flipped at first, but she'd understood. Spike suddenly shivered in his chair, his hand gripping the glass of blood so tightly it smashed into pieces.

"Spike? Spike, are you okay?" Buffy gasped concernedly.

"He's awake."


	10. Angelus

Down in the basement in a steel cage, Angelus paced the floor. So he was back...it'd been a while. For a second there he thought Liam had finally gotten his way, then old Spike came along. Was he evil again? Apparently not, he realised when Buffy, Spike and Faith appeared cautiously walking down the stairs.

"Here come the heroes." Angelus grinned. "Well not too heroic, aye Will?"

"I did what I had to do, wanker." Spike spat.

"Oh oh oh, watch your tongue. Wouldn't wanna upset your grandsire now would ya? We both remember what happens when you upset me."

Spike hid his grimace quickly, he remembered Angelus' torture all too well. "I think you'll find, mate that someone else is the sire around here."

"Oh I'm positively quaking." Angelus jokingly shivered. "Seriously, Buff what do you see in him?"

"Shut up." Buffy hissed.

"Touchy are we? Was that a sore spot? Oh are the blondie bunch not doing so well?"

Spike crossed the room towards him, grabbing a fistful of Angelus' shirt and dragging his face into the bars.

"Don't talk about what you don't know." Spike growled.

"Spike, be careful." Buffy warned.

"Looks like Willy's grown a pair since we last met. Adorable." Angelus chuckled.

Spike released him and stepped away from the cage going back to join the slayers.

"Oh look, Faith's here too."

"You bet your ass I'm here. And I'm gonna be here until Angel is stuffed back inside you. Okay?"

"All this crap about Angel and Angelus, you guys are idiots. He musta really been getting to you. Same person, sweetcheeks, just like I'm always within Angel, he's always within me."

"You are not Angel." Faith snarled.

"And you're not Buffy."

"Never said I was." Faith challenged.

"No but you wanna be, right? Everyone just sees you as Buffy #2 but worse. You're the replacement slayer, the backup. They call you when there's an apocalypse or something that's just a little too evil for all these good guys right?" Angelus said slyly.

"Don't listen to him, Faith. That's not true." Buffy sternly told her.

"Hush, lover."

"Why don't you hush before I hush you myself!" Spike yelled.

"Jeez, Spike. You really have gotten tougher, gotta say I'm impressed. But then again you have always been easily whipped. Drusilla and now Buffy." Angelus laughed a little. "Funny how they always seem to be my sloppy seconds."

Now it was Buffy's turn, she stormed across the room and reached through the bars grabbing him by the neck.

"You know you can't choke me, kitten. But if you're into that we can pretend." Angelus smiled down at her.

"I know I can't choke you but I can do this." Buffy tightened her grip and tossed the vampire across the cage and he smashed into the wall.

He fell to the ground giggling and was quickly back on his feet. "Now _that_ was some classic slayer stuff. Not this alternate universe slayer who goes around sleeping with vampires instead of killing them. You know what they say, Buff, one's a mistake, two's a pattern."

"I've killed you once I'll do it again, if I have to." Buffy reminded him.

DING DONG

"That's probably Willow." Faith remembered.

"You go get it, me and Angelus aren't done yet." Buffy demanded.

"Okay, B. But remember he's gotta be alive." Faith said as she sauntered out of the door.

"Now don't I feel like the third wheel." Angelus smiled the couple before him.

"Yeah that really sucks doesn't it?" Spike referenced his time in Sunnydale when Dru worshipped the ground Angelus walked on.

"So tell me, you two, what's the problem here? 'Cause I was always rooting for you kids to work it out."

"There's not a problem. Well apart from this Angel shaped tumour we got." Buffy snapped.

"Is that what this is about? Are you angry about the siring?" There was no reaction from either person. "Okay that's not it..."

"Great. Now the shrink session is over you can just shut your soddin' mouth until your soul's back." Spike waggled a finger in Angelus' face.

"Ah so it's you who's angry." Angelus grinned boyishly when he registered Spike's reaction. "I still got it. I know you William, even after all these years."

Spike still said nothing, just turned away from Angelus. "Spike? Is he right? Are you mad at me?"

"Uh oh. Looks like someone's not been communicating." Angelus teased.

"No, I'm not. Let's just drop it, okay?"

"Is it about what..." Buffy's gaze travelled back to where Angelus was. "...you know. When you sired him." She muttered.

"So it was about the siring!" Angelus smacked the bars triumphantly.

"I wasn't telling the truth, Spike. I was trying to piss you off."

"I know that and I really do wanna believe it. But some part of me says well, where did you get all those ideas from if none of them were true?"


	11. Trouble in Paradise

"That's crazy, Spike!" Buffy yelled. "None of them are true! I did what you made me promise. Whatever it takes. And I really don't feel comfortable talking about this here."

"Oh don't let me get in the way." Angelus sat back, satisfied.

"You'll never feel comfortable talking about this, Buffy, so why not do it here?" Spike raised his arms exasperatedly.

"Fine! Whatever. It wasn't true, Spike." Buffy reached for his hands but he pulled them away.

"Ooh ouch. That's gotta burn, Buff." Angelus piped up.

"I know you had to do it, I do. I told you to do whatever you had to do and yes you did the right thing. You did what a slayer would do. You saved the world, again and my head is telling me to just shut up and that it was all crap. But my heart...as usual is dancing to a different tune."

"Love's bitch, alright."

"Hey! Voice from the cheap seats! Do you mind shutting up?" Buffy yelled at Angelus.

"Now, now, love. I'm just being honest."

"This is all your fault. Every time you reappear your best tactic is to just sprinkle around insecurities. You pick up things Angel's heard and twist it to hurt people. I get it, you are a worthless piece of crap who can barely fight to save your life, but this is just pathetic." Buffy snarled.

"Watch your mouth. I'm still dangerous, kid. You step within distance and you're drained." Angelus growled.

"That threat would be a lot scarier if you weren't in a cage."

"So what'd she do? Trying to get you angry enough to bite me?" Angelus directed this question at Spike, who ignored him. "Gotta say, Blondie that's cold-blooded. Didn't think you had it in ya." Angelus turned back to Buffy.

"Well a lot has changed since we last met."

"Big girl's all woman now, hey?" Angelus grinned. "Sure you don't fancy another go at us, baby? I'll be the man you deserve."

Spike snatched up the crossbow Faith had left behind and trained it right at Angelus, firing instantly. Angelus reeled back from the shot and Buffy jumped. But he wasn't dust.

"Missed the heart, Spikey." Angelus grimaced as he yanked out the arrow.

"Meant to. I wanna beat up Angel when this is over." Spike placed the crossbow back down. "Just reminding you who has the power here."

"You think I'm in love with this guy?" Buffy jabbed a thumb in Angelus' direction.

"And boom goes the dynamite! That's what this is about?"

Spike ignored him and carried on. "No, I don't I just think that...I don't know what I think. I'm just paranoid that you're comparing everything I do with what he did. I don't know."

"Spike I could never compare you to Angel."

"Yeah right." Spike turned away from her.

"Spike, look at me." Buffy crossed the room towards him and he slowly turned to face her. "We've been through so much. Like a lot."

"Not making it any better, pet."

"Let me finish. Yes, I loved Angel, but am I always comparing you to him? Of course not. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Spike. Been there for me when I was winning every Miss Bitch award going and been there for me when I was too busy playing the hero to care. Comparing you to Angel is unthinkable Spike simply because you're...incomparable." Buffy smiled nervously.

"In a good way?" Spike chuckled.

"Always." Buffy laughed. "I'm sorry I played on your insecurities. It was wrong, and I crossed a line. You just have to remind me when I do that 'cause we both have a tendency to go too far."

"You can say that again." Spike scoffed.

"I'm in love with you, Spike." Buffy took another step closer to him and laced her fingers with his.

"It's still weird to hear you say that." Spike beamed.

"Oh make me barf." Angelus fake gagged.

"Oh don't worry, we will." Buffy flashed him a grin.

"How are we gonna-"

Buffy yanked Spike's lips towards her and instantly wormed her tongue into his mouth. He welcomed it happily and allowed his tongue to join in. Buffy's hands clamped themselves around his neck, her index finger gently twiddling a curl at the nape of his neck that had been released from gel. Spike allowed his hands to roam over her body, one palm settling on her bottom. His left hand clenched her butt cheek slightly, mostly to bother Angelus, as it was right in his eyeline. The pair had been locked at the lips for a few minutes, only stopping so Buffy could breathe for a couple of seconds before re-attaching themselves.

"That's it! Stop! This whole fight's over like that? That's not real love." Angelus snapped.

The blondes pulled apart, Spike keeping an arm around Buffy's waist as she turned to face Angelus.

"Oh please. You're just pissed off because you can't get a rise outta us." Spike grinned slyly.

"I can get under your skin any time I want to. Both of you." Angelus directed his sight onto both people.

"Actually, you can't. That's why you're throwing a tantrum now. Your only power while stuck there is to use your stupid Derren Brown routine. And now that's not even gonna work."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check on the ensouling and get Faith to swap with us. So have your fun while you still can, 'cause soon Angel will be back in the driving seat."


	12. Scooby Gang

"Hey, guys." Buffy gave an awkward wave to her best friends and sister.

"Oh my God, Buffy!" Willow rushed into Buffy's arms enveloping her in an apologetic hug.

"Yeah, sorry about...well everything, Buffster." Xander smiled regretfully. "Faith told us why we were all...should I even say good?"

Buffy chortled. "I'd say no. Though I'm never gonna complain about all the evil afoot anymore. Not now I've seen the other end of the spectrum."

"Yeah we're all so sorry for everything." Dawn hugged Buffy tightly.

"It's okay, Dawnie, just let me breathe." Buffy strained and Dawn released her embarrassedly. "Jeez, you're giving slayer strength a run for its money."

"Speaking of slayers, what are we gonna do with all of them?" Faith interjected.

"I don't know, we're just gonna have to send them home I guess and hope they don't end up on the six o'clock news babbling about vampires." Buffy shrugged.

"And hey it can't hurt to have a few people around the world in the know, right?" Xander said.

"Yep." Buffy nodded in agreement. "And Faith would you mind switching with Spike? I think Angelus is really starting to mess with his head."

"Sure thing, B."

0000000000000000000000000000000

"Hey, Faithy! I was beginning to wonder when you'd return." Angelus greeted Faith.

"You've officially been clocked out, vampire." Faith lightly pushed Spike towards the door and he exited.

"Alone at last." Angelus sighed.

"Yeah whatever you're not Angel."

"Maybe not exactly...but we look alike." Angelus grinned at his own joke.

"Yeah you've definitely got more of a sense of humour than him." Faith almost laughed, but stopped herself.

"Careful, now. Showing your evil side."

"I don't have one of those, not anymore."

"Oh please, everyone's got one. Even the almighty Buffy."

"So maybe I do. What's it to you?"

"Oh nothing. Just a little reminder." Angelus replied cryptically.

"Yeah whatever, you can keep your reminders to yourself." Faith snatched up the cross bow and sat herself down on the floor, with it firmly in her grasp.

"Now, now Faith. We're all friends here." Faith glared at him and raised the crossbow a little higher.

"You'll never use it." Angelus scoffed.

"Oh yeah? And why not?"

"'Cause you kill me and Angel's dead too, and we both know you have a bit of a soft spot for him."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I? I seem to remember you falling to your knees one rainy night in LA begging to be killed. I remember prison visits and declarations of guilt and redemption. Face it Faith, you're weak. Couldn't even do evil right."

"Shut up!" Faith snapped.

"What? Can't handle the truth?"

"I'm not evil. Haven't been for a long time." Faith said firmly, more to herself than to Angelus.

"Come on, Faithy. You liked your little trip to the dark side and that's why it's different for you. You had a taste of evil and you liked it. There's no coming back from that."

"You're wrong."

"No, Faith. You are." Angelus gripped the bars of his cage and pressed his face against it. "The screw up Slayer, second best, the Buffy no one wanted...or needed. I mean Buff has fucked two vampires and you still did a worse job than her."

"Shut up!" Faith screeched as she stormed over to the cage.

Rapidly, his hand came out and he gripped her throat tightly. Easily, he lifted her into the air, his bicep squished tightly between the bars of the cage.

"Let...me...go." Faith choked out, gasping for air.

Angelus chuckled enjoying her legs thrashing through the air. "Nah, I think I'll enjoy every second of this."

A blue tinge began to creep up Faith's face and her eyes bulged out of her head, gasping for oxygen.

"Let her go." Buffy growled as she came in.

"Why you gotta spoil all the fun?" Angelus waved Faith's body around as he actioned, unperturbed.

"Let. Her. Go."

"What you gonna do if I don't, huh? Aim's blocked for the crossbow, you might hit Faith and that'll only make my job easier. And how you gonna punch me through these bars huh?"

"Don't worry, I'll find a way." Buffy advanced to the cage.

She tried to hit him or grab him any way she could, but Faith's dangling legs were blocking every go she had and his upper body was easily shielded by her. Buffy reached to grab for the arm holding Faith but he pulled it back inside, Faith's head forced hard against the bars. Buffy could see Faith was losing air, and fast, she didn't know how long she had left.

"What do you want?"

"Unlock me and I won't kill her."

Buffy grabbed the key and wiggled it in front of his face. "You don't kill her and I'll unlock it."

"Please. What do you think I am some kinda amateur?"

"Please..." Faith gasped.

Buffy forced the key into the lock just as Angelus dropped Faith to the floor. Faith fell on top of Buffy in a heap and Angelus dashed from the basement. Buffy attempted to scramble to her feet but she could see Faith was close to losing consciousness.

"Faith? Faith?" Buffy shook her vigorously.

"Go..." Faith croaked.

Buffy didn't need telling twice, she leapt to her feet and ran after Angelus.


	13. Young Blood

**_A/N: Only 1 chapter to go after this one!!!_**

Angelus had Dawn pressed against his body, her arm bent behind her back. Buffy skidded to a halt. Willow was in the corner, preparing to start the spell, Xander protectively beside her and Spike with a face like thunder was standing before Angelus.

"Anybody moves an inch and the girl gets it." Angelus tightened his grip on Dawn and she whimpered.

Buffy realised that Angelus hadn't noticed her, his back was to her and she could've sworn he would've been able to sense her but he hadn't addressed her yet. Cautiously, she took a step forward, he didn't react.

Spike's eyes darted to Buffy's and she motioned for him to talk. "She's just a kid, Angelus."

"But you know as well as I do, Spikey, that's just how I like 'em." Angelus trailed a hand down Dawn's cheek and she gasped.

Spike snarled. "Don't you dare touch her."

"Nope. You got Buffy, this one's mine."

Buffy was so close now and she wasn't sure how best to attack. Then out of the corner of her eye, glinting on the floor, was Faith's knife. It had been discarded there when they'd fought and she'd forgotten where they left it. Keeping her eyes on the back of Angelus' head she swiped it from the floor.

"Something you should know about the Summers' women is that they don't belong to anybody. Buffy isn't mine and Dawn sure as hell isn't yours."

"Don't worry about it. After a while, she'll forget who you were. Maybe she'll be my next Drusilla." Angelus crooned in Dawn's ear.

"You dare, you die." Spike hissed.

Buffy took her moment, she darted forward and plunged the knife into Angelus' back. He yelped in pain and roughly shoved Dawn away from him.

"Gotta say, Angel I expected better senses from a grand vamp like yourself." Buffy said as Angel yanked the knife out of his back.

"Still getting used to be being back. Old Liam was in control for a while back there." Angelus' fingers twitched as he spoke, welcoming a fight.

"Willow, start the spell." Buffy torpedoed her body at Angelus', he caught her round the waist and threw her aside, cackling.

Spike leapt onto his back holding his neck tightly. Angelus bucked like a bronco attempting to throw the other vampire off of him. Buffy was back on her feet, throwing punches at Angelus' face. With a thump, Spike landed on his back on the floor and Angelus aimed to roundhouse kick Buffy in the stomach. She grabbed his ankle tightly in her hand and spun it around in a circle sending him clattering into the wall a few feet away.

"How's that spell coming, Red?" Spike groaned.

"She's going all Black Eyed Girl so I'm gonna say, well?" Xander replied, Willow still buried in the depths of magic.

Angelus finally crawled back to his feet and Buffy started for him kneeing him twice in the groin and bringing an elbow down on his back. From his vantage point on the floor, Angelus wrenched Buffy's legs from beneath her. Rapidly he leapt on top of her body, resting his whole weight on her.

"Been a while since I saw you from this angle, baby." Angelus leered.

"And it'll be the last." Spike snatched Angelus up by the neck and tossed him against the wall like a rag doll.

"Don't kill him! It's nearly done." Dawn reminded Spike.

Angelus retaliated, smacking Spike hard in the face and flipping him over his shoulder. Buffy appeared from the left side, dodged his right hook then his left foot and grabbed him by the head to send a knee into his face.

"Aşa să fie! Aşa să fie! Acum! Acum!" Willow's voice roared across the lobby, her head snapping backwards.

Angelus dropped to his knees, his whole body shuddered and intense golden light filled his eyes. The yellow radiated from within him and he gasped painfully. Buffy grimaced, he looked like he was in a lot of pain. With each tendril of gold that snaked its way back inside him, a new flourish of agony was felt. Finally, he fell hunched to the floor. Sweating and shuddering he brought his gaze up to see Buffy staring down at him.

"Buffy?" Angel croaked.

Instantly, Buffy fixed upon her face a hard glare. "Angel?"

"What happened?" After seeing the innocence and confusion cloud his face, Buffy placed an arm under him and helped him amble to his feet.

"Spike grab his other side." Buffy ordered and Spike sprung into action.

Between the pair of them they got Angel seated on the plush sofa in the next room and the Scoobies slowly filtered in around them. Willow was panting, held bridal style in Xander's arms.

"Is she okay?" Buffy nodded to Willow.

"A little drained, but she's still a redhead so I'd say we're in the clear." Xander joked gently placing her into an armchair.

"Can someone go check on Faith?" Buffy remembered.

"I'll do it." Spike leapt.

"No you won't. We need to talk." Buffy said warningly dragging him back towards the sofa.

"Fine." Spike relented.

"I'll go." Dawn offered, leaving the room.

Buffy sat beside Angel and Spike sat beside her. He could feel the dread radiating off of her at having to tell Angel what they did and why they did it. Spike placed a hand on her knee comfortingly and she clenched it tightly in her fingers.

"We owe you an explanation."


	14. FINAL

"I'll say." Angel rubbed his head.

"What do you remember?" Buffy asked softly.

"I remember being...good? Or rather I guess I wasn't that good. Just weird. But it felt good...and then...Spike beat me up." Angel glared across Buffy at Spike.

Buffy ignored him and pressed on. "Anything else?"

"Vaguely...stuff...I don't know...but I feel...Angelus. He's back. Isn't he?" Angel clutched at his chest, as if he could feel the demon within.

"Afraid so, mate." Spike nodded.

"You sired me?" Angel leapt across Buffy's lap and clasped his fingers around Spike's throat.

Buffy grabbed onto Angel's waist and threw him back onto his side of the couch. "Hang on, okay. You have every right to be angry but hear us out first."

"Why should I?" Angel bit back.

"Please, Angel." Buffy pleaded.

"Fine. Why'd you do it?"

"Well, you remember you said about all the good stuff and how weird it felt?"

"Yeah..."

"That was me. I did that."

"Buffy.." Spike started.

"No, Spike. It's true."

"Will you just tell me what the hell you're talking about?" Angel barked.

"When I activated the slayers, I tipped the scales. I made it...too good."

"And I'm guessing it wasn't so good?" Angel mumbled.

"Nope."

"Lemme guess, to tip the scales you needed evil. And you took it upon yourselves to choose that evil as me?" Angel growled at Buffy.

"Hey!" Spike snapped, placing an arm protectively between Buffy and Angel which she hastily shrugged off. "We didn't choose you, Peaches, alright? The Powers That Piss About told us it was you."

"An evil reborn." Faith echoed from where she was ambling in the door, resting heavily on Dawn. "They told her it had to be an evil reborn and someone close to home at that."

"So it was me." Angel said bluntly.

"I'm so sorry, Angel. We didn't know what else to do. Me and Spike were the only people in the world unaffected and..." Buffy trailed off.

"I'm a vampire again."

"I'm sorry, mate. I really am." Spike apologised sincerely.

"I've waited for years for this. I've been fighting day after day for redemption, knowing I'd get no reward, that I'd always be evil. And then I got a second chance, a chance to prove myself and be rewarded with humanity." Angel got to his feet. "But it was all just a massive psych! The freakin' PTB and their mind games! They dangle this in front of my face, let me hold it for a while and then snatch it away in the name of saving the world. How sick is that?"

"Angel it's not their fault." Buffy leapt up and followed him. "It's mine. The Powers, they didn't know about the slayers. I screwed it up, Angel. It was me. I destroyed the natural order and I deprived you of your destiny. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Buffy." Spike interjected.

"Spike, it is. Stop defending me." Buffy snapped.

"As much as I hate to agree with Spike here, he's right. It's not your fault. And I don't wanna feel this way. You have no idea how much I want to just shrug it off and say well I used to be a vampire so what's the difference? But it's not that easy. I...I gotta go." Angel headed for the door.

"Angel- wait!" Buffy went to go after him but Spike caught her arm.

"No, luv. Let him go."

0000000000000000000000000000000

Spike thought about knocking but changed his mind, Angel would just get even more annoyed if he knew he was treating him differently. So he pushed his way in.

Angel's bedroom was different than he expected, Angel always preferred basic rooms, not necessarily showing his personality. But this room, had the occasional reminder that someone lived in it. Angel's old Claddagh ring sitting atop his dresser, his jacket hanging off the back of a chair. A framed picture of Angel and Cordelia grinning crazily into the camera, a piece of folded paper held underneath it. And on his bedside table, an old business card for 'Angel Investigations' with a logo of what he assumed was supposed to be an angel but looked more like a butterfly.

"What do you want Spike?" Angel growled from his bed.

"What happened...it's a sore deal. It really is. And if it helps I didn't wanna do it." Spike shrugged.

"Yeah, right. You probably jumped at the chance to bite me." Angel scoffed.

"Actually Buffy had to piss me off good and proper before I did it. Couldn't bring myself to, you see."

Angel thought for a second, where had he heard that before? And then it all came flooding back to him, all he'd done as Angelus. It normally did take a few minutes to jog his memory, but never this long before. But he remembered all of it. Being sired, tormenting Buffy and Spike, strangling Faith and forcing Buffy to release him.

"You starting to remember, Gramps?" Spike realised.

"Yes. And I think the image of your hand on Buffy's ass will be forever burned into my brain cells."

Spike chortled. "Yeah, sorry about that. Wanted to piss you off."

"You mean piss Angelus off."

"Yeah, sure." Spike shrugged, he still hadn't quite wrapped his head around the whole Jekyll and Hyde deal Angel had going for him. Did that mean he was William now and the old him was Spike?

"I don't really blame you, either of you." Angel admitted. "I mean I've been a vamp before, for a few centuries so I'll be fine. It's just...I wish I'd never gotten a taste for the dream ya know?"

Spike settled down beside him. "I know. But you're back to your stronger self. Yeah you got a taste of the normal life as Clark Kent but that musta been boring right? I mean I've always been one for Superman myself."

"A little boring yeah, I guess.."

"And I think we both remember how bloody useless you were on that patrol that time?"

"I've gotten better!" Angel defensively replied.

"You definitely have now." Spike nodded.

"At least this little human trip did show me one thing."

"Yeah and what's that?"

"I found out that the whole human deal, it's not what Buffy wanted. I got closure, that I wouldn't trade that for anything."

"Me neither. Or I'd still be following her around like a love sick puppy getting nothing in return." Spike chortled.

"Yeah and we all know how much you enjoyed sticking your tongue down her throat right in front of me." Angel sniped jokingly.

"Can't lie that was the highlight of my day."

"Sorry I was beating you up a little."

"Sorry I sired you."

Angel got to his feet and headed for the door. "Well, being human, it was cool while it lasted."

"Yep. But not many people want Clark Kent. I guess the question is...who do you want?"

"Superman." Angel grinned as he wrenched the door right off of its hinges.

 ** _And it's the end! Massive thank you to EVERYONE who followed or favourited this story, you guys are why I write these!_** ** _I toyed with the idea of writing a #3 in the series but all of the versions I've written so far just haven't been great. So we'll see if that ever happens! Final thank you to all my reviewers: JMHUW, Littlelisa32, OkamiShadou98, Mother Wilson and nrdhrd3._**


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